Chapter 216: line with translation of chapter title

Mu Yi entered the Transcendent Academy with practiced ease, then opened the door of the director of instruction.

"Mr. Wen!"

"My lord!" Wen Ren rose and clasped his hands in salute.

Mu Yi waved his hand, signaling him to relax, then plopped onto the sofa beside him.

"According to the previous quantity, have them issue another batch of weapons!" Mu Yi instructed simply.

Since Wen Ren's arrival, Mu Yi has gained his first true civil official at hand, and also become a bridge for Mu Yi to contact the authorities.

Currently, Li Xian is imparting Elite Talent in the army, while Wen Ren serves as a teacher within this Transcendent Academy.

As Wen Ren, who once grasped the essence of the Hundred Schools, he is the most suitable enlightening teacher for these students.

Although Wen Ren is not versed in every school, serving as an enlightening teacher and helping them outline initial cultivation plans is still a piece of cake.

"Here!" Wen Ren replied, smiling and saying, "It seems your lordship's trip this time has yielded a bountiful harvest?"

In the context of Jiuzhou, many minor world dynasty generals and grand ministers only obtain an unofficial post like a city god after death, and even that requires one to possess merit.

"If you have any ideas, just speak them out!"

"My lord, you still have vacant yin bureaucrat divine posts; why not use them to exchange for the support of all sects?" Wen Ren laughed as he revealed his ultimate goal.

Initially, a seventh-rank divine post could serve as a prize at the Hundred Schools assembly.

Sometimes, one's identity is a fine trump card, which can be exchanged for tangible aid using an illusory reputation.

"What do you mean by that?" Mu Yi looked at Wen Ren with some doubt.

"If I could directly recruit elite troops and strong generals, wouldn't that spare the need to raise funds and provisions?"

However, benefits are benefits; one cannot casually recruit people, for after all, those hired become one's own, and if they cause trouble, the blame falls on oneself.

At that time, the Yin Cao Si said the Underworld could not spare manpower, letting me raise my own staff, and also gave me several dozen sets of yin bureaucrat equipment.

"Therefore, I have a plan: I ask my lord to borrow!"

"As the saying goes, 'Troops do not move before provisions are ready'; your lordship's urgent task should be to raise funds and provisions to meet military needs!"

People say the value of a post lies in its authority to appoint and dismiss; if not for Wen Ren analyzing the situation for me, I would have completely wasted this benefit.

"My lord, since you find the Heavenly Court and Underworld too lofty, beneath them are the Hundred Schools, and beneath the Hundred Schools are the various sects; why not borrow from them?"

"The waters of the Heavenly Court and Underworld are too deep for me to tread now!"

Mu Yi borrowing a few things from them would be a sheer boon to them; not to mention borrowing, even if they demanded, crowds would rush to comply.

Before the prime minister's gate, a seventh-rank official; Mu Yi's seventh-rank divine post is naturally insignificant in the Heavenly Court and Underworld, but go further down and the post becomes substantial.

Mu Yi then nodded; although the things differ, the principle is indeed transferable, and the funds and provisions here refer precisely to the Zongwang Disaster Coin.

"My lord is the righteous god of heaven and earth; naturally, he should borrow troops from the Heavenly Court and Underworld!"

Mu Yi directly refused; the shadow of the last time still lingers, the waters of Jiuzhou are too murky—muddling about in Jiuzhou's minor worlds is tolerable enough, but to wade into the murky waters of the Heavenly Court and Underworld, each step leaves one with no choice.

Wen Ren flashed a smile; having organized the information he received as a follower, he felt Mu Yi was truly wasting his existing resources.

"Training troops is for war, while military provisions are the key to guaranteeing victory or defeat!"

"The harvest is not bad, but it's still far from expectations!" Mu Yi sighed.

He is a scholar; in the course of teaching he has read many books, learned much history, from which he gained some new insights, so he specifically offered counsel to Mu Yi.

"Go ahead and say it!"

Mu Yi pondered the current state of the White Lotus World, nodded, and this indeed is what he ought to do.

Mu Yi blinked his eyes, suddenly recalling that after becoming a yin marshal, the Underworld had once given him a promise.

Mu Yi thought it over and put forth a one-step solution.

"My lord, in my view, your current troop training is in full swing, yet it is not the foremost task!"

"Excellent plan, Mr. Wen!" Mu Yi gave Wen Ren a thumbs-up; this truly is a good scheme.

"My lord, are you planning to allocate all the quotas to the Military Strategists?"

This is without counting Mu Yi's own worth, after all, a situation like Mu Yi's is truly exceptional, which is why such a thing occurs.

Put bluntly, it's an open tender; under normal circumstances, the Underworld's staffing is not so easily obtained.

Wen Ren, hearing the implied meaning, immediately understood Mu Yi's intention.

"Raising funds and provisions amounts to only two methods: one is to increase revenue, the other to cut expenses; your lordship establishing contact with the local authorities here is for cutting expenses, while your lordship venturing into another world for adventure is to increase revenue!"

"My lord's goal is to slay legendary creatures and take their remains for oneself, correct?" Wen Ren calmly analyzed Mu Yi's future strategy.

Only after Wen Ren's reminder did Mu Yi realize that the Yin Cao Si was extending an olive branch to him!

Eighth- and ninth-rank yin bureaucrats, even if they are the lowest in the Underworld, are still official staff of the Underworld, proper positions with established staffing.

At that time, Mu Yi still found it strange that the Underworld would lack manpower, and he even conjured his own explanation.

Seeing Mu Yi's approval, Wen Ren laid out his counsel in full.

"I have a single word; I hope my lord will hear it!"

Anyone with a bit of sense, seeing Mu Yi this unearthed potential dragon, not investing a little would simply be foolish.

"Borrow?" Mu Yi expressed some astonishment, "Ask whom to borrow from?"

Even if the great powers look down on it, those small sects and clans will have to sharpen their heads to squeeze in.

"My lord, why not try spreading the quotas to other schools as well? Weaponry, equipment, spiritual pills, elixirs, talismans, and magical treasures also constitute combat strength!"

"If we could have research-oriented talent, perhaps we could produce transcendent devices ourselves here!"

Wen Ren advised Mu Yi that borrowed consumables will eventually run out, but if we could self-produce and self-sell, that would be perfect.

Mu Yi felt moved; he indeed currently lacks these things.

Feeling moved, he immediately acted; Mu Yi had Wen Ren draft a notice.

Mu Yi and Wen Ren discussed it a bit, but for a while they could not settle on a price, since there was no precedent and they did not know how to set it.

Mu Yi glanced at the total of seventy-two sets of ninth-rank yin bureaucrat equipment and four sets of eighth-rank yin bureaucrat equipment.

Even the lowest seventh‑grade Yin officials are at least Legend‑level, which Mu Yi knows, and that's why he immediately fled after learning about it.

For such high‑level tasks, if the two big shots above the Gates of Hell don't intervene, he would really die miserably.

So Mu Yi limits his personal level to between 15 and 20; anything higher is hard for him to manage, he wants subordinates, not bosses.

Moreover, those who can reach Legend level are considered notable in any world; as long as they aren't extremely wicked, they can at least snag a seventh‑grade position.

Those eighth‑ and ninth‑grade posts, the other side might not think highly of them; recruiting them would just cause trouble for oneself.

As for the bidding price, the floor price is set at the cost of recruiting 500 elite soldiers in Zongwang Disaster Coins, with no upper limit.

After discussing it, Mu Yi directly sent, via Zongwang, to the countless sects and schools under the Heavenly Court and Underworld of Jiuzhou in the Multiverse, according to the selection range.

This operation will consume 100,000 Zongwang Disaster Coins per person; continue?

So expensive!

Mu Yi looked at the cost given by Zongwang, his mouth twitched; just how vast is the area covered by Jiuzhou? This is perhaps too exaggerated.

Continue!

After confirming, Mu Yi himself also felt doubt arise.

By the way, is this operation really feasible?

At the moment Mu Yi was doubtful, the next second the application request on his retina frenetically refreshed.

【Current number of respondents to this task: 32421】

The number of respondents was growing wildly, making Mu Yi dizzy, and then he simply shut off the Zongwang Panel.

With the big stone in his heart finally landing, Mu Yi also gained some confidence.

No rush, let the mission fly for a while.

……

Mu Yi simply didn't understand what an eighth‑ or ninth‑grade Underworld deity post meant.

Most mountain gods, earth gods, river gods, and city moat gods are basically at the eighth‑ or ninth‑grade level.

Most of them are even inferior to Daoists and monks, after all the latter can casually petition the Heavenly Gods and Earth Deities, and even directly reach the Three Pure Ones and various imperial sovereigns.

When Daoists and monks burn incense and make offerings, that's called requesting the ancestral master's edict; when they do so, they may even be punished, because this is called jumping the chain in reporting.

Strictly speaking, they aren't even considered Heavenly Gods and Earth Deities.

Put simply, it's like the difference between a provincial and a township civil servant; they're merely village leaders, the gap isn't at the lower end but at the upper end.

So, when Mu Yi's bidding announcement came out, the first to go crazy weren't the disciples of the Hundred Schools, but these mountain and river gods.

Usually, each mountain and water god in charge of a region has become like a gossiping woman, chattering nonstop.

For other matters they might procrastinate, but when it comes to promotion and wealth, they can't wait to run to their direct superior, the city god, to confirm.

They gather at the city god's office door to discuss this; it's somewhat unbelievable, yet they all hope it's true.

The city gods are also bewildered, each asking their superiors whether it's true; after all, in Jiuzhou, joking about an Underworld deity post basically means you're tired of living.

It's indeed true!

After receiving many inquiries, the Underworld directly issued an announcement.

After getting the reply, even some local city gods started thinking; being a city god until death is just that, but if they could serve in the Underworld and later become a Yin commander or such, wouldn't that be wonderful?

Although a storm was stirred up outside, there was hardly any movement inside the Underworld.

The Underworld has released vacant deity posts more than once or twice; otherwise, where would the Hundred Schools' heavenly god and earth deity posts come from?

The Hundred Schools actually each have some of these posts.

But this time is different: Mu Yi's advertisement covered too broad a range, forcing them to come out and issue an announcement.

In the Hall of the Yanluo Heavenly Son, inside the nearby Judges' Hall.

Four of them, either kind‑looked or bearded and fierce‑looking, just jointly drafted and issued the notice.

Moments later, the one in red robes, bearded and fiercely looked, suddenly spoke.

"Is the Bureau of the Underworld really that short‑staffed?" The speaker was Zhong Kui.

After learning the full story, Zhong Kui was very dissatisfied with the Bureau of the Underworld.

"Alright, Seed Judge, Mu Yi's situation is special—you know that—and the Bureau of the Underworld is just cutting corners; besides, this is also convenient for Mu Yi."

"They're just eighth‑ and ninth‑grade deity posts, nothing much!" said the kindly‑looking Land Judge.

Although Mu Yi's identity is merely a seventh‑grade Yin commander, nominally their subordinate, he was appointed by Hou Tu Niangniang, so they must show goodwill; let alone the Bureau of the Underworld, and besides, it doesn't violate any rules—at most it's opening a convenient door.

Zhong Kui actually regretted it as soon as he spoke; he just appeared a bit hot-tempered, which doesn't mean he really is hot-tempered.

Who among those seated in the four great judges' halls could be a fool? A fool couldn't have reached this point, embodying millions and garrisoning countless Jiuzhou worlds.

Judges and ghost messengers are not the same; it's not one radish per hole. In all the worlds subordinate to Jiuzhou and all the minor Underworlds, the judges that exist are them.

Having reached this point, they are no longer an ordinary concept.

Although they haven't yet reached the so-called 'one verification, eternal verification,' they have already become bound to the concept of the Underworld; wherever there is an Underworld, there is their presence, and wherever there is their presence, it is necessarily their divided spirit.

Zhong Kui is merely overly responsible; even after becoming a judge for so many years, he remains wholeheartedly diligent, unlike the other three who are somewhat slick.

Only when involved in the work of the Underworld Office did he blurt it out unconsciously, but after stabilizing his emotions, Zhong Kui also knew this thing was special.

If the Underworld Office dared to open this backdoor for someone else, he would surely clean up the Underworld Office.

Unlike the other three, who lean toward civil officials, he is not only a judge but also a ghost-catching Daoist master, a proper military officer, basically shuttling daily between yin and yang, and treats catching ferocious souls and evil ghosts as a hobby.

"That Zongwang, what do you think?"

After a moment of silence, Judge Lu spoke of another matter.

Zongwang, also known as the Heavenly Dao Net in their mouths, after Hou Tu Niangniang returned, she became very interested in it and began promoting the fusion of the Underworld and Zongwang.

Through this, they also linked many worlds, allowing many Eastern Zongwang Players to participate in the so-called missions.

"It has caused quite a chaos!" Zhong Kui bluntly expressed his opinion.

"The benefits outweigh the drawbacks; it's quite good for the growth of those juniors!" Judge Cui said concisely.

The two at Ghost Gate keep complaining all the time—those so-called players causing trouble have become a regular feature on the Yellow Spring Road! Judge Lu smiled faintly.

Let's keep watching—since Her Highness has done this, she must have a deeper meaning; we'd better not speculate! Judge Wei ended the discussion with a single sentence.

Zhong Kui glanced at the other three judges, feeling a bit glum; his colleagues were fine in every way, but they always made him feel like he didn't belong. Could it be that whether he held office in life really matters that much?

After all these years of work, we still haven't developed enough rapport.